Marriage Divorce Records California

Choose the California record product before you order

Marriage and divorce records in California are held by different offices depending on the document. A public marriage certificate is not the same as a confidential marriage record, and a CDPH divorce Certificate of Record is not the divorce decree. Start with the document the recipient actually needs.

Marriage: check CDPH year coverage before mailing an order

CDPH-VR currently states that it can provide certified public-marriage certificates for 1905 through 1999, 2001, and 2008 through 2025. It says it cannot provide certified copies for 2000 or 2002 through 2007 and directs those requests to the county recorder in the county where the license was issued. That year check can save an otherwise valid request from going to an office that does not hold the state copy for that period.

Authorized and informational marriage copies serve different uses

California distinguishes authorized and informational certified copies. CDPH says an authorized copy may be used to establish the identity of the person named on the certificate, while an informational copy cannot be used for that purpose and carries an informational legend.

For an authorized birth, death, or marriage copy, CDPH requires the notarized Sworn Statement included with the application and the requester must sign the perjury statement. CDPH expressly warns that an authorized-copy request submitted without the required notarized Sworn Statement is rejected as incomplete and returned without processing. For a marriage order, use the authorized-copy formality only when you qualify for that product and the receiving party needs it; otherwise confirm whether an informational certified copy is sufficient.

Divorce: the state certificate and the court decree are not substitutes

CDPH-VR maintains divorce records only for 1962 through June 1984. Its product is a Certificate of Record showing the parties’ names, filing date, county, and case number. CDPH expressly states that it does not issue the actual divorce decree. A certified decree must be obtained from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce took place.

Use the county directory when the statewide route is the wrong custodian

CDPH’s county directory says public marriage records are available from the county recorder where the license was issued, confidential marriage records from the county clerk in that county, and divorce decrees from the Superior Court where the decree was granted. If you do not know the county, use reliable paperwork, a case number, or other event information to identify it before ordering. Do not guess a county from where either party now lives.

Confirm current fees and timing at the moment you order

CDPH notes that certified-copy fees changed effective January 1, 2026 and points requesters to its current Fees and Processing Times pages. Because both amounts and turnaround can change, treat a saved fee from an older form or third-party website as stale until the official page confirms it. The same principle applies to county recorder, county clerk, and Superior Court orders.

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  Match event type and county

  Marriage uses the license-issuing county; a divorce decree uses the county Superior Court that granted the divorce.

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  Match copy type

  Choose authorized versus informational marriage copy based on the recipient’s requirement.

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  Check year coverage

  Use CDPH only for the event years it currently says it can serve.

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  Recheck fee and processing information

  Use the current official office page when submitting the order.